1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to linear member alignment and securing mechanisms, and more particularly to a drawer slide hardware alignment and mounting apparatus and method using a small explosive charge to drive a fastener to secure the slide in the desired position.
2. Description of the Background Art
There are a number of drawer slide assemblies known in the art that allow drawers and the like to smoothly slide from a closed position to an open position, and back again, as needed. The drawer slide assembly also serves to support the drawer within the cabinet and to properly orient the faceplate of the drawer with respect to the frame and other drawer faceplates when the drawer is in the closed position. Proper alignment of the drawer faces is essential to the general appearance of the drawer.
Generally, there are four types of linearly extending drawer slides known in the art: the European, the American, the full extension, and the centrally mounted single track. Each assembly typically has an interlinked track and rail that slide longitudinally with respect to each other. The rail is mounted to the body of the drawer, and the track is attached to the interior of the cabinet. The sliding action is normally facilitated by the presence of at least one wheel attached to the rail that engages the corresponding track. However, in full extension hardware, ball bearings rather than wheels facilitate the sliding action.
The European type of slide assembly includes a pair of elongate tracks affixed to the left and right side walls of the cabinet, and a pair of corresponding drawer rails mounted to the sides of the drawer. Typically, each drawer rail has at least one wheel which rotationally engages the track, and each track has one wheel that rotationally engages the rail. The drawer rails and the elongate tracks cooperate to support the drawer and allow the drawer to readily slide from a closed to an open position and back.
The American type of drawer slide assembly includes a pair of drawer rails mounted to the sides of the drawer and a pair of tracks mounted to the back wall of the cabinet rather than the sidewalls. Typically, the interior end of each track is held within a support bracket that is mounted to the back wall panel of the cabinet. The ends of the tracks opposite to the brackets are normally mounted to the face frame of the cabinet with screws.
Full extension slide hardware known in the art includes one or more slide embers of decreasing width that telescope linearly. Typically, the outermost slide member is mounted with screws to the sidewalls of the cabinet. The drawer is mounted to the innermost slide member.
The single-track type of slide assembly known in the art has a single track centrally mounted between the front frame and the back wall of the cabinet. A rear guide plate or wheel structure is mounted to the rear upright of the drawer and slides within the track. The track is typically held in a bracket, which is mounted to the back panel of the cabinet similar to the American type slide assembly.
To install any of these prior art slide assemblies, the installer usually loosely anchors the track to the cabinet frame at the front and rear ends of the track. Next, the drawer with the rails is placed into the cabinet, and the rails, track and faceplate are physically aligned. The screws in the tracks are carefully tightened further after the drawer is removed. This procedure may be repeated several times until the drawer face is properly aligned, and can be very time consuming and imprecise.
Proper alignment of each slide assembly within the cabinet is essential for a smooth inward and outward sliding action of the drawer. Misaligned drawer slides may not only cause the drawer to bind with use, but may also result in moving the drawer face out of position. The drawer face should be matched with the frame when the drawer is closed and should be horizontally and vertically aligned with the other drawer faces or doors of the cabinet. Misaligned slides may also cause the top or bottom side of the drawer face to tip away from the frame thereby forming a gap. In addition, one side of the drawer face may be lower than the other if the drawer slides are misaligned causing the cabinet to appear displeasing to the eye.
It is not always possible to accurately align the drawer slides at the time of manufacture of the cabinet. Normally, the drawer slides must be adjusted after the complete cabinet is installed. Such adjustments are necessary because the walls and floors at the building site may not be perfectly level or square. The body of the cabinet may be manipulated to accommodate the geometry of the building and that manipulation causes the slides to be out of alignment. Consequently, drawers that slid smoothly at the time of construction now bind and fail to fit properly in the cabinet.
A person repairing or remodeling the drawers or cabinet encounters similar problems. The repair of drawers with broken slides or the installation of replacement drawers requires the installation of new slides in an existing cabinet that has been permanently installed. It is often necessary to place and remove the drawer and adjust the slides several times before the drawer face fits flush with the frame and is horizontally and vertically aligned with the other drawer faces. Furthermore, the drawer slides are installed and aligned in a confined space that has narrow points of access to the interior of the cabinet. Proper positioning of the slide brackets can be difficult and time consuming, particularly if the slides are mounted to the back of the cabinet.
Accordingly, there is a need for a drawer slide assembly that can be easily aligned and anchored at the time of installation in a building, camper, mobile home or other location without the need for repositioning the rails and brackets. The present invention satisfies that need, as well as others, and generally overcomes the deficiencies found in existing equipment.
The present invention is a drawer slide mounting apparatus and method for quickly and easily aligning and mounting the slide hardware in new or existing drawer cabinets. While the specific examples disclosed herein apply to cabinetry, it will be understood that the invention can also be applied wherever blind fasteners are needed or used.
By way of example, and not of limitation, the apparatus comprises a plurality of fastener assemblies that are mounted to a drawer slide. In the preferred embodiment, each fastener assembly has a fastener plate, a cartridge and a lanyard or other means of remotely activating the cartridge. The cartridge has a hollow, generally cylindrical body having a closed end forming a chamber. A small explosive charge is placed within the chamber at the closed end of the cylinder.
The invention also includes means for detonating the explosive charge. The preferred means for detonation is friction caused by pulling a lanyard that passes thorough a small hole in the body of the cartridge to the charge within the chamber.
A planar piston head is disposed within the chamber such that the explosive charge is between the piston head and the body of the cartridge forming the enclosure. The piston head, which is preferably planar, preferably has at least one pointed shaft fixed perpendicularly to the planar head on the surface opposite the surface facing the explosive charge. A thumbtack, known in the art, has been successfully used as the piston head-shaft combination.
The cartridge is positioned over an aperture in the fastener plate such that the pointed shaft is aligned over the aperture prior to detonation of the charge. The exterior of the cartridge body preferably has a circumferential groove that receives a pair of tabs from the fastener plate, which positions and secures the cartridge to the plate. In the preferred embodiment of the cartridge body, the circumferential groove is slightly tapered from the top of the groove to the bottom. Additionally, the body wall is preferably very thin at the lowest point of the groove.
Upon detonation, the pointed shaft is driven through the plate aperture and into the wall of the cabinet thereby fastening the fastener plate to the wall. In one embodiment, the body wall of the cartridge separates at the lowest point of the groove by the force of expanding gases in the explosion chamber after the piston head and shaft are driven into the wall. A ring is left within the tabs that can be left in place or removed as desired.
The fastener plate may also include one or more anchors that further secure the fastener plate and track to the structural members of the cabinet. Alternatively, the track can be further secured to the cabinet conventionally using screws through holes typically provided in the tracks by slide manufacturers.
In another embodiment, the fastener assembly also includes a cartridge with a number of capsules of adhesive placed around the shaft in the chamber below the piston head. The fastener plate in this embodiment has several additional apertures or slots surrounding the aperture that receives the shaft to allow the expulsion of adhesive through the plate. The fastener plate may also have an indentation or raised area below the apertures such that a small gap is formed when the fastener plate is flush with the sidewall of the cabinet.
Upon detonation, the capsules are burst open by the piston head and the encapsulated adhesive is driven through the apertures and thereafter occupies the space between the fastener plate and the cabinet wall or support member. The tack secures the position of the track and plate while the adhesive is allowed to cure.
Alternatively, the cartridge of the fastener assembly does not have a shaft on the piston head. In this embodiment, the fastener plate is secured by extruded adhesive alone. This embodiment is appropriate when the sidewall of the cabinet is metal or the wall is too thin or cannot otherwise receive a tack shaft.
In another embodiment, the fastener plate has two or more cartridges positioned over apertures in the plate. The fastener plate in this embodiment has several sets of pound in anchors. These anchors are pounded into the sidewalls of the cabinet after the fastener plate and track are properly aligned and the charge has been detonated. This embodiment is adapted for use with long drawers with tracks that may need to support a substantial amount of weight.
A further embodiment of the invention is adapted for use with the center track or American type slide assembly characterized by tracks that are secured to the back wall of the cabinet by brackets. In this embodiment, the cartridge is mounted to the bracket that connects with the track. Once the bracket is properly positioned, the charge is detonated and the bracket is secured to the rear wall or support structure. Screws, as needed, may further secure the bracket to the rear wall of the cabinet.
Another embodiment of the invention is adapted for use with a generally xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shaped adjustable bracket. One leg of the bracket is mounted to a block of wood with screws residing in slots in the bracket and positioned so that the other leg of the bracket is against the rear wall of the cabinet. The side rail is also mounted to the wood, which serves to stiffen and support the rail. Once the drawer with the mounted slide and wooden block are in the proper position, the charge is detonated driving the fastener through the bracket thereby securing the bracket to the back of the cabinet.
Yet another embodiment of the invention is adapted for use with full extension slide hardware. The alignment and attachment of the full extension type of slide is the same as with the European type of slide.
An object of the invention is to allow the quick and efficient installation of drawer slides.
Another object of the invention is to provide a drawer slide that is self-aligning obviating the need for repetitive re-measurements.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an easy way to orient and secure elongate members within confined spaces with a minimum of effort.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a mounting apparatus and method that can be economically manufactured and can be discarded after a single use.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon.